Change Agent

Location Designation: Fully Remote

When you join New York Life, you’re joining a company that values career development, collaboration, innovation, and inclusiveness. We want employees to feel proud about being part of a company that is committed to doing the right thing. You’ll have the opportunity to grow your career while developing personally and professionally through various resources and programs. New York Life is a relationship-based company and appreciates how both virtual and in-person interactions support our culture.

GBS

Change Agents will help to implement the Continuous Improvement system in partnership with the business across New York Life to drive improvements in employee engagement, customer satisfaction, productivity, quality, and sustained change and innovation. In this capacity, the Change Agent will work with the business to identify opportunities to improve how we work, design solutions for these opportunities, and coach teams to use them.

You will have the opportunity to build leadership skills, shape the organization and its processes, and advance your career at New York Life. The Change Agent is expected to be in the role of Change Agent for two years to help lead future waves of Continuous Improvement and help coach others. Part of the reason for the two-year commitment is that in this role, you will receive extensive training from both internal and external (to New York Life) sources on the Continuous Improvement system. You will also benefit from exposure to senior leaders within the organization, including at the C-level, exposure to different parts of New York Life, e.g., across functions, and the opportunity to hone written and oral communication skills. Most importantly, you will play a critical role in shaping the future of New York Life and improving our performance on many dimensions.

Successful Change Agents will have numerous options and support when transitioning out of the Change Agent role. These include:

• Supporting a department or functional area in a Continuous Improvement sustainability role.
• Transitioning back to the business in your original department or functional area (e.g., a position of greater seniority)
• Moving to a new role within New York Life.

Responsibilities

• 
  Participate in Change Agent training programs including orientation and community of practice sessions: You will receive extensive training on the Continuous Improvement methodology provided in both formal training programs (e.g., orientation, design, implementation) as well as apprenticing provided by experienced Change Agents.

• 
  Play a leadership role across the major phases of Continuous Improvement deployment, e.g.,planning, diagnostic, design, implementation, and replication.
  • Conduct diagnostic work within a deployment: Work closely with frontline associates, managers, leaders, and other stakeholders to conduct diagnostic analyses that include walkthroughs, and interviews to assess current state strengths and areas of opportunity to enhance performance in a business unit or functional area. You will need to work hand-in-hand with business leaders to quickly learn the ins and outs of the business, including key drivers of financial results, customer satisfaction, and employee experience.
  • Facilitate future state design work within a deployment: Tailor tools such as visual boards, standard work, skills matrix, balanced scorecard of performance metrics, etc. to the New York Life culture and the context within a business unit or functional area. Ensure the tools will be fit-for-purpose in that area and are able to be used effectively. Work through each of the top opportunities identified in the diagnostic phase (e.g., changes to processes, roles & responsibilities, and operating model) and develop solutions to address those opportunities.
  • Support the implementation phase within a deployment: Conduct the implementation phase of a Continuous Improvement deployment. During this period, the Change Agent will provide extensive coaching to leaders on the implementation of tools and new ways of working, role model Continuous Improvement leadership behaviors, drive improvement to a cascading set of balanced scorecard metrics, and rapidly prototype changes to the operating model. The Change Agent will work closely to support the implementation of the future state operating model and management system, including root cause problem solving.
  • Support the replication phase within a deployment: Support the replication of the implementation phase of a deployment. This is similar to the implementation phase but on a faster timeline and with a broader set of frontline associates and team managers. During this period, the Change Agent will work with and coach many frontline employees and leaders to implement the Continuous Improvement operating model and management system. You will also role model Continuous Improvement leadership behaviors. The Change Agent will help role model root cause problem solving approach.

Qualifications

• 
  Technical Knowledge:
  • While technical knowledge of core Continuous Improvement concepts or the fundamentals of Lean Management that inform Continuous Improvement’s principles is preferred, it is not required. Change Agents will receive extensive training on the methodology.
  • Strong knowledge of Excel and PowerPoint is required.
• People Management: Change Agents do not have direct reports but are accountable for providing coaching and feedback to leaders and frontline employees as part of the Continuous Improvement deployment process. They also play a critical role in both supporting and driving the leaders and teams they support to strive for stretch targets across a variety of metrics to ensure the CI system is driving positive business impact. This will include coaching leaders to help them understand the “why” behind the changes from the CI system and how it benefits NYL and NYL’s customers, overcome obstacles (e.g., mindsets and behaviors, team members who are struggling, etc.), helping leaders identify improvement opportunities to remove roadblocks, etc.

What does the ideal candidate profile include?

• BS/BA degree or equivalent.
• Track record of leading and developing others, with a passion for coaching.
• 4+ years of relevant experience in coaching and team management
• 2+ years of group benefits experience preferred, with a specific focus on long-term/short-term disability claims.
• Passion for, and ability to drive change in how we work at New York Life.
• Curiosity and openness to learn about new ways of working.
• An ability to thrive when faced with ambiguity; to lean into uncomfortable situations to see the opportunity for growth (in yourself and others)
• Ability to influence stakeholders, such as front-line employees and leaders in the organization.
• Low self-orientation - we need to help our leaders win and achieve results via CI.
• Collaborative relationship builder and team player.
• Impact-oriented, e.g., operates with bias to action, entrepreneurial spirit, and drive to pursue opportunities that lead to improvements.
• Strong problem-solving skills, including analytical thinking and analysis, e.g., able synthesize data to draw conclusions and make recommendations.
• Ability to see opportunities from a systems-level; make connections across different processes (e.g., linkages and synergies across different organizations, routines, or procedures).
• A proven track record of successful project management, showcasing acumen in orchestrating complex projects and the ability to manage multiple deliverables against a timeline.
• Excellent oral and written communication skills, tailored to effectively convey complex concepts to a variety of audiences, including ability to train adults using real life activities over delivering a presentation.
• While the role is remote, there is an expectation that you will need to travel to affiliated offices roughly once monthly for 2-3 days at a time (e.g., for trainings, side-by-side observations).

It is recommended that all qualified candidates apply to this posting as soon as possible. Residents of Colorado are hereby notified that the deadline to apply is 2 weeks from the Posting Date listed above.

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Salary range: $90,000-$135,000

Overtime eligible: Exempt

Discretionary bonus eligible: Yes

Sales bonus eligible: No

Click here to learn more about our benefits. Starting salary is dependent upon several factors including previous work experience, specific industry experience, and/or skills required.

Recognized as one of Fortune’s World’s Most Admired Companies, New York Life is committed to improving local communities through a culture of employee giving and volunteerism, supported by the Foundation. We're proud that due to our mutuality, we operate in the best interests of our policy owners. We invite you to bring your talents to New York Life, so we can continue to help families and businesses “Be Good At Life.” To learn more, please visit LinkedIn, our Newsroom and the Careers page of www.NewYorkLife.com.

Job Requisition ID: 90112